Does Pope Francis Understand What " Reform" Means ?

By Jerry Slevin
Christian Catholicism
September 29, 2013

http://christiancatholicism.com/does-pope-francis-understand-what-reform-means/

[Will Pope Francis Be Ready For His Reform Meetings With Cardinals?]

Is Pope Francis in reality like a clone of ex-Pope Benedict, but  just a better spiritual salesman? That is an important and unanswered question . Wishful thinking Catholics hope Francis  really is different in more than his smoother speech. Many Catholics  basically gave Francis a free six month pass,  when Francis became new pope. He at the time appointed 8 Cardinals to tell him by October 1 how to reform the Curia. Six months seemed like a reasonable time, at least to come up with a specific vision of a reform agenda. Francis and the Cardinals were then , and still are, quite familar with the Church’s problems.

Of course, the eight Cardinals included some of the “usual suspects” who had been part of the clique that either caused the current mess or looked the other way as the ex-pope fiddled while Rome burned.

The group’s chairman, Cardinal Rodriguez of Honduras, had earlier shamefully suggested that the Jewish owners of the New York Times,  parent company of the Boston Globe, were mainly behind the bad press Cardinal Law got in the Boston priest abuse scandals. Rodriguez reportedly supported the ex-pope’s ban on condoms for AIDS victims and excommunication of women who had an abortion. And he just suggested the Holy Spirit is guiding his current efforts to help Francis “reform” the Church. Really?  Who guided his seemingly anti-Semitic remarks earlier?

As an international lawyer, it is becoming increasingly simpler to assess all of this now. Francis and his Cardinals’ group must  either “put up” real reforms soon or else. The “or else” are government prosecutors. Australian prosecutors are currently breathing down  the neck of Cardinal Pell, also one of the eight Cardinals. The ex-pope, or even Pope Francis, could well be next. And prosecutors in many other nations, including in Latin America, are stepping up their pace.

Current reports suggest Francis will again try to stall for more time to announce a reform vision during his meetings with these Cardinals.  Perhaps, he is  hoping many Catholics and most of the media will lose interest over time. Not very likely. Indeed, the interest among Catholics and the media  in protecting children and respecting women and gay persons is steadily growing.

What is Francis waiting for? And where are the media watchdogs, many of whom  too often gave the ex-pope, and his predecessor, John Paul II, virtual free passes for decades over their  shameful protection of pedophile priests and their bishop enablers .

Francis has for six months even failed to address the long overdue removal of criminal Bishop Finn of Kansas City. Francis also has kept on the ex-pope’s failed child abuse prevention team at the Congregation ot the Doctrine of the Faith. Indeed,. he has now also just returned to this failed team one of the ex-pope’s old hands, Archbishop Gus DiNoia, who was apparently part of Cardinal Ratzinger’s earlier cover-up clique.

How dumb does Francis think Catholics are? Where are the media watchdogs? Do they have children?

For more on why Francis may likely fail in enacting reforms on his current path, and my suggestions as an experienced legal crisis manager  as to how he might avoid failure, please see my remarks, accessible at http://wp.me/P2YEZ3-Po